Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Bhalchandra Agarkar

Born on
December 04, 1977 at Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra

Right Handed Batsman
and Right-arm fast-medium bowler

Teams played for Mumbai, Middlesex, Kolkata, India, Delhi

Ajit Agarkar is the third highest wicket-taker for India in ODIs, then the fastest to bag 50 ODI wickets, the fastest in terms of matches to complete a double of 200 wickets and 1000 runs, fastest fif...
Full profile

Batting stats

M

Inn

Runs

HS

Avg

SR

NO

100

50

4s

6s

Tests

26

39

571

109

16.79

52.82

5

1

0

83

3

ODI

191

113

1269

95

14.59

80.62

26

0

3

103

22

T20I

4

2

15

14

7.5

136.36

0

0

0

2

0

IPL

42

22

179

39

17.9

116.23

12

0

0

13

5

CL

3

3

21

11

10.5

123.53

1

0

0

2

1

Bowling stats

M

Inn

B

Runs

Wkts

BBI

BBM

Econ

Avg

SR

5W

10W

Tests

26

46

4857

2745

58

41 / 6

160 / 8

3.39

47.33

83.74

1

0

ODI

191

188

9484

8021

288

42 / 6

42 / 6

5.08

27.85

32.93

2

0

T20I

4

3

63

85

3

10 / 2

10 / 2

8.5

28.33

21

0

0

IPL

42

42

782

1151

29

25 / 3

25 / 3

8.85

39.69

26.97

0

0

CL

3

3

72

63

4

14 / 2

14 / 2

5.25

15.75

18

0

0

ICC Rankings

Batting

Current Rank

Career Best

TEST

--

93

ODI

--

84

Bowling

Current Rank

Career Best

TEST

--

35

ODI

--

11

-- indicates player not in top 100Rank changes shown are of the last 30 days

Ajit Agarkar is the third highest wicket-taker for India in ODIs, then the fastest to bag 50 ODI wickets, the fastest in terms of matches to complete a double of 200 wickets and 1000 runs, fastest fifty by an Indian, in just 21 balls.

Known for his ability to swing the ball both ways, both with the new and the old balls, Ajit Agarkar was considered to be India's answer for a fast-bowling all-rounder, for he was no mug with bat. Although he had enormous talent, somehow, Agarkar could not quite make notable contributions on a consistent basis and was blowing hot and cold throughout his career.

Agarkar the ODI bowler was more popular than Agarkar the Test bowler. Having tasted first-class cricket a couple of years earlier, Agarkar made his ODI debut in 1998, in a tri-angular series against Australia. He made an impact straightaway and became the highest wicket-taker in the competition. He continued to impress and took 22 wickets in his next 8 ODIs. He was also part of India's campaign at the 1999 World Cup, although he did not play all the match as his form dipped.

Agarkar's most notable performance with the ball in ODIs came against Australia at the MCG in 2004, when he bagged 6 wickets for 42 runs in a losing cause. He bagged his second and last fifer the next year, this time at Pune against Sri Lanka. Agarkar's best with the bat came against West Indies in 2002, when he made 95 to top score for India, after being promoted up the order to No. 3. He was also remembered for recording the fastest fifty by an Indian in ODI history, when he smashed a half-century off just 21 balls against Zimbabwe in 2000.

He made his Test debut in 1998, but was not seen as a great material for the longest format by the selectors. His heroic 6-wicket haul, which derailed Australia in the second innings of the famous Adelaide Test in 2003 and a stunning unbeaten 109 at Lord's in 2002, were the noteworthy performances in the Test match format.

Agarkar, who was part of India's successful World T20 campaign in 2007, was signed by the Kolkata for three IPL seasons since 2008, before he moved to Delhi to spend three more years in the cash-rich league.

He was almost a regular member of Mumbai's Ranji squad and also led them to victory in the 2013-14 season. In 2011, after being left-out of the playing XI, Agarkar, who was disappointed at not being informed beforehand of his exclusion, wrote a letter to the Mumbai Cricket Association to relieve him from the squad.

In 2013, Agarkar announced his retirement from all-forms of cricket. Post-retirement, Agarkar began a new career as a cricket analyst.